Globo's Cultural Might

The Power of the media and it's influence on society is unquestionable. It effects everything from the way we communicate with each other to the very way we think and behave. A recent article from the Economist, republished in the Toronto Star, "How a TV network in Brazil has changed the idea of family" http://www.thestar.com/article/602567 brings home the point by presenting evidence that suggests "telenovelas" (soap operas), are partly responsible for several positive changes. One improvement is the lowering of fertility rates which has been linked to lower rates of domestic violence. The article does not mention whether telenovelas have influenced the way Brazilians think, speak and/or understand English. Based on anecdotal evidence, I would argue that the media is indeed influencing English fluency in Brazil. However, unlike some of the positive social trends that are credited to Global's telenovelas, their use of English in Soaps like "America", I would argue is actually a disservice. The characters in these Soaps, when speaking English, for the most part, make no attempt at pronouncing or enunciating English words as "Americans" would. Instead, they often sound like they are talking Brazilian Portuguese in every way (pitch intonation etc.), with one glaring omission. The words are unintelligible as Portuguese and only Brazilian Telenovela enthusiasts would consider them as correct English.
Global please invest more of your vast resources into English Language training whenever your soaps require someone to speak English. You have millions of people watching and listening to every word the characters on your Telenovelas utter.

Fish Eggs Anyone?

A little while back a Business English instructor had introduced the topic of Culture to his class and the importance of it in Business Relations. He put forth the following question: "If a Native English Speaker from Toronto went to your country on business and you were responsible for their stay, including entertainment, what type of itinerary would you create?" After a few minutes of contemplation a Japanese ESL student responded quite succinctly. "First, I would invite him to a restaurant to eat fish eggs, than I would take him to a Geisha and show him a good time."
Naturally some people laughed while others, as is often the case, didn't know what was so funny because like the student who answered the question they found the response quite normal.
The instructor used this opportunity to introduce new vocabulary (caviar) and explain the adult implications of linking good time and Geisha to a Westerner. It is always worth stressing to ESL students that many words have cultural baggage associated with them, so they should be aware when using new vocabulary, of the dreaded "double meaning."

Static Electricity Ball

If you try looking up "Static Electricity Ball" in a trusted Dictionary or website you may have a difficult time, as I found out, of actually encountering a satisfactory description of what it is. After being unable to explain what it was through my own words or through other resources our client simply said "I think I know what you mean." I was left wondering if indeed the iconic "Static Ball" of my youth still held any resonance with people today (especially GenYer's), or did I do a disservice to our city's beloved Science Centre in using 'the ball' as a symbol of the Centre.
The following day she arrived at the school with a Japanese tourist brochure that had a picture of a child, similar to the one above, doing pretty much the exact same thing. So I was left to ponder "without the smiling child with the static charged hair standing straight up, what would happen to the lonely Static Ball?" Obviously, it cannot stand alone like other great entertaining duos: Abbott and Costello; Laurel and Hardy; Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, they are a package deal. As the old Sinatra tune said ".......you can't have one without the other."

Photo courtesy of: http://www.stockphotofinder.com/stock-photos/h/hair_static.html